Review: Diplomat Hotel

Sunday, October 09, 2011

The moment we’ve settled our Cebu Ferry tix, I searched for the most affordable hotel or inn inCebu for us to stay for 2 nights. While checking out some places to stay and reading some reviews of other bloggers, I had one major dilemma: SAFETY!

It seems like most of the cheap hotels are located on infamous places in Cebu City where snatchers are common. So upon seeing that Diplomat Hotel offers affordable rooms rates and is located at the very heart of the City, I immediately inquired and made reservations. Their Standard Room Rate is Php1040. Compared to the usual Php700-800, it’s a bit pricey. However, if we’ll consider our safety and convenience I guess that’ll complement everything.

A security safe is also provided to keep our important stuffs like phones, laptop and money. What I like most however is the huge closet with lots of hangers. I was able to hang most of our clothes to keep them from being wrinkled.

One of the most important factor for me in hotels is the Shower Room. Its one of the first things I check. Our Shower Room in Diplomat is clean. Complimentary soaps, shampoo, toothbrush and towels are also provided. But the towel that was provided to us is not clean. When I used it after taking a bath, it smells! Yuck! The towel was not properly washed. I mean, I’m not that choosy when it comes to using hotel-provided towels. But please! Make sure you wash them properly and at least steam them. Heller!

Another major factor to us also is the shower heater. G.p can’t shower without one. So I made sure that our room has it.

But I had an experience with Diplomat that I really need to put into writing.

I am very particular with Customer Service. Being one for years, I know what customer deserves. And I know what great customer service is. I am not hard to please. But once you did something that I don’t deserve as a customer, you won’t easily shush me out.

So, here’s my story…

One of the reasons I opted for Diplomat is their Cebu City Tour offer. According to their website, we’ll have Cebu City and Mactan Tour for only Php1200 per pax including lunch. Not bad considering we don’t have to worry about our itinerary and we have a tour guide. It’s just me and G.p in Cebu, where people seldom speak Tagalog and a place we are both not familiar so I don’t want to take the risk.

Upon check in, I inquired of the said tour and verified the call time. I also asked for complete details of the tour. I found out then that the tour is not Diplomat’s. They have a third party who specializes on tours. No problem right? I was disappointed however when I found out that we need to go to Ayala via taxi at 9AM the following day. The hotel won’t cover our transportation going to the tour pick up point.

I re-verified the pick up time 4 times on their front desk. I even called right before we leave. I’m paranoid and I don’t want to be left behind. Being the OC that I am. Their front desk people told me that the tour starts at 9AM and we need to be on the Turista Desk of the Ayala Mall at exactly that time. Again, no problem.

So we woke up early on our second day in Cebu, hailed a cab and went to the Ayala Mall.

Though upon reaching the mall entrance, the guard on duty told us that the mall opens at 10 and that there’s no one on the Turista Desk to accommodate us. He then asks us to stay on the side. No chair, no waiting area, nothing to do. I skipped breakfast because I’m afraid of being late so I got really irritated when I learned that we need to wait for one hour outside. I immediately called the hotel and told them my issue. I was on my cellphone and our line got disconnected. I called the hotel again but no one’s answering my call. I tried again and again to no avail. So I used my Sun Cellular number and called them again, voila! Somebody answered. Alright, I admit, I was on the verge of shouting because I really got irritated. Come on! I was calling them and they tried to ditch me by not answering because they don’t want to accept the fact they made a mistake! It may seem a little thing to some, just 1 hour difference, but for someone who doesn’t know the place and can’t even communicate properly to the locals (most know english better than tagalog) that’s a major thing.

Their manager gave me a letter of apology once we arrived on the hotel. But G.p got even pissed of the reason they stated on the letter. They said the personnel I dealt with is under training. Oh come on! You never say that to your customers. Cause it only means you are either putting under trained people on your front desk or your much tenured personnel are not helping out the new ones.

So to Diplomat, please make sure you take into consideration the information you provide your customers. You deal with tourists everyday and in order for them to keep coming back, you must make sure that they have the best experience ever. But I appreciate the letter anyway. Thank you still for making sure I had a safe stay in Cebu.

A neophyte mum, testing her ropes on this crazy world called motherhood. A blogger. A Software Test Architect. A self-proclaimed fashionista. A bookworm. A lover of life and adventure. She always believe in living her life to the fullest. That travelling is the best teacher and experience is the best weapon.